


A Conversation

by velvetcat09



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Afterlife, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Canonical Character Death, Gen, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Endgame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-10 19:13:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18666637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velvetcat09/pseuds/velvetcat09
Summary: Steve Rogers passed away in a peaceful Sunday morning.





	A Conversation

**Author's Note:**

> a short something that i need to let out from my chest after watching endgame
> 
> also a fanart i did before writing this: https://velvvetcat09.tumblr.com/post/184550715285/

Steve Rogers passed away in a Sunday morning, just at the edge of his last sleep. Peaceful. Truly. Knowing everything has worked out in the end, knowing the world still have heroes to defend her time and time again, knowing they won. He can finally rest.

They gave him a house with a clear view to the sea right at the edge of Brooklyn. Something familiar to his time—he never truly moved on. He spent his last days content with the peaceful scenery. He gets to grow old, he gets to experience tranquility. Looking over the people crowding his aged body there, laying on that bed; it almost astounds him that he feels absolutely _nothing_. They are S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, tasked to keep an eye of him, he might be old but he’s not stupid to not realize that keeping an eye on him is mostly in the context of his death. Which happens to be just now.

“They’re probably gonna arrive in about half an hour, do you wanna wait?” Steve—nobody could see him now, no one, not a single soul in this room safe for that painfully familiar voice.

Steve’s breath hitched despite no longer breathing, he turns his head to be greeted by Tony.

Just as translucent as he is, just as he last seen him before Thanos. Smiling in that familiar twinkle.

“You’re here.” Was all Steve could say. That emptiness still lingering.

“Always been. Well, here and there. I watched everyone.” And for the first time since his passing on, Steve feels like smiling.

“Barnes and Wilson are on their way, should arrive in about ten.” Steve crosses the gap between them to put a hand over Tony’s shoulder. He doesn’t tear up at the contact despite thinking that he might breakdown in tears at the very thought of being able to touch Tony again. The hand gently guides Tony out of the room.

“Let’s meet them outside.”

“Ha, still optimistic are we.”

“Just feeling that room will be getting too crowded soon.” They walk across the street to the promenade right in front of the building.

“We don’t occupy space, we could stay there if you want. It’s your last moment.”

Steve looks around them; bright blue sky, some clouds but no sign of rain, not even on the edges. A good day to die.

“You don’t want to see your wrinkly ass that much longer, huh.” Steve smiles at Tony’s grin.

“You took the words right off my mouth.”

“On your left, Cap.” Steve blinked away his stagger. For a second, he thought it was someone else’s voice—it was still only Tony that’s addressing him. But he looks to his left and is greeted by Sam carrying Bucky in the air. They both lands and immediately rushes inside the building. Steve only sees a glimpse of their faces.

“Y—”

“I don’t need to see the mourning. I’m sure we’ll see more of them.” Steve looks to his right with a knowing smile. Tony immediately follows suit.

“Of course. Gotta say, they make a great duo, even better than when you were with Barnes.”

“Better than you and I?”

Tony paused, but continues with that twinkly smile he always does. It feels like nothing has changed, at all. It probably hasn’t on Tony’s side.

“Nice one, Steven.”

Tony walks and Steve follows right by his side. It’s just them and eternity. Steve has so many questions to ask, but at the same time, doesn’t feel like asking, not even one. They have ‘til the end of time, there’s no need to rush.

“You’ve been watching everyone.” Comes the statement that feels long overdue for Steve's part. Tony makes a hum, somewhere between agreeing and skittering at the edges.

“Mostly Morgan, Pep, Rhodey, Parker,”

Steve nods.

“and you.” Now Steve understands why people say they’re happy in the afterlife.

“Turns out there’s another place where time doesn’t work like we understand it, other than the Quantum realm. I always thought the afterlife to be linear? But no, I could go anywhere I want, any time, any place. It’s like watching a huge ass movie. I have _infinite_ supply of popcorn.”

“And I watched _you_ —returned those stones; by the way, _thank you_ , sorry I couldn’t do that after I snapped the thing, I wanted to, but _you know_ , I was fried,”

“Tony,”

“I watched you dance with Peggy. You were happy. I’m happy for you.”

Steve doesn’t know what to say. There’s nothing to say—to justify, Tony saw everything crystal clear, saw all his decisions up to this very point. And yet Steve still looks away when Tony says that. 

“You didn’t have to. But you did. You and Peggy took me in after my parents died. Things changed; you shouldn’t have meddled with time. That was very selfish of you, Captain.”

Steve sighs, closing his eyes; he knows damn well his actions has consequences. But when he returned, old and weary—nothing seemed to have changed much. If anything, it felt like there were no repercussions. He lived the rest of his life believing that his selfishness has no consequences. Until Tony said it right in front of him. Tony would know, he’s seen everything after all. He’s seen the changes that he couldn’t see.

“I know. I shouldn’t mess with things. But after you’ve gone—I couldn’t bring myself to _not_ see you one last time. Even without you knowing me. You know.”

“I do,”

Steve looks at Tony.

“know that I love Morgan 3000, I love Pep, I love Rhodey, I even love that Parker kid. I do know now, because in the afterlife you share the collective memory of every instances of you, every alternate self, every timeline. You become the culmination of all of _you_. So, I do know, _now_ , that I love you even more.”

Light should no longer have effect on them anymore. They’re spirits, they are no longer entangled within the rule of physics in the universe. Tony said it himself, time means nothing to them now. Light should not be reflected in such a way that it gives Tony more radiance than he was a few seconds ago. As if to make him look even more angelic than he already has.

“Then you already know how much I love you.”

His only answer is the same twinkling smile that always reaches his eyes, that makes Steve loves him more and more.

“Let’s go see Nat, she misses you a lot, Cap.”


End file.
